ISIS detainee transfers: “Third-generation” threat puts Iraq’s security to the test
Shafaq News
Iraq faces mounting security and judicial pressure as it receives around 6,000 ISIS detainees transferred from Syria, a move officials describe as one of the largest post-territorial defeat security operations since 2017. Lawmakers and security analysts warn that the influx —which includes hardened fighters and individuals accused of crimes against Yazidis— could strain prison systems and reignite dormant extremist networks if not tightly managed.
The Supreme Judicial Council said on February 16 that initial interrogations had been completed for more than 500 detainees, part of a broader process involving individuals of 61 nationalities now held in Iraqi prisons. The transfers accelerated after shifts in northeastern Syria, where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had long detained ISIS members and their families.
An employee of an international organization working in Al-Hol camp in Syria’s Al-Hasakah province told Shafaq News that most of the roughly 2,000 Iraqi families previously residing there fled following the SDF’s withdrawal and the arrival of tribal fighters and Syrian government forces. “Most entered Iraq through illegal crossings, while others settled in various Syrian regions, since some Iraqi men married Syrian women and vice versa,” he said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of his work. He added that Syrian authorities transferred dozens of Iraqi families who refused repatriation from Al-Hol to Aq Burhan camp in rural Aleppo.
According to the same source, many foreign families also left within the first two days after the SDF withdrawal, some heading toward Idlib and Aleppo with assistance from Syrians who entered the camp, while others reportedly crossed into Iraq and Lebanon via smuggling routes.
Legal Accountability And Yazidi Cases
The transfers have reopened painful wounds for communities affected by ISIS atrocities, particularly the Yazidis of Sinjar.
Mahma Khalil, a Yazidi member of Iraq’s parliament, warned that receiving ISIS members —especially what he described as a “third generation” raised in extremist environments— represents a serious security risk. He urged both material and moral compensation for Iraq and called for firm judicial action “against these criminals, in respect for the families of victims in the mass graves of Sinjar, Speicher, Bir Allo Antar, Al-Khasfa pit and other sites.”
Last week, Sarab Elias, Director General of Yazidi Survivors Affairs at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, told Shafaq News that three ISIS members recently transferred from Syrian prisons were implicated in the 2014 enslavement of Yazidi women.
“Preliminary investigations involve more than 400 ISIS members, and one of the victims allegedly enslaved by the three suspects is currently in Germany,” Elias said, noting that specialized judicial and security committees are overseeing the first batch of interrogations and that legal procedures remain ongoing.
The cases underscore the dual challenge facing Iraqi authorities: ensuring due process while delivering accountability for crimes widely recognized as genocide.
Scale Of The Detention Challenge
Before recent evacuations, Al-Hol camp housed more than 24,000 people, including 15,000 Syrians, 3,500 Iraqis, and around 6,200 foreign nationals. Following the fall of ISIS’s last territorial stronghold in Al-Baghuz in March 2019, thousands of fighters, wives, and children fled to SDF-administered areas.
In Iraq, ISIS seized nearly one-third of the country in June 2014, capturing major cities in Nineveh, Saladin, and Al-Anbar before Iraqi forces, backed by the US-led Coalition, declared victory in late 2017. Despite losing territorial control, the group has maintained sleeper cells capable of launching intermittent attacks, particularly in rural areas stretching between Diyala, Kirkuk, and Saladin, locally known as “the triangle of death.”
Security experts argue that the detainee transfers could either strengthen Iraq’s intelligence capabilities —by centralizing interrogations and extracting operational data— or create vulnerabilities if detention facilities become targets.
Ahmed Al-Sharifi, a security analyst, described many of the transferred detainees as ideologically hardened fighters, warning that social reintegration would be “highly unrealistic.” The more immediate concern, he said, lies in maintaining firm control inside prisons, especially amid regional tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran that could affect armed factions in Iraq.
Adnan Al-Kinani, another security expert, cautioned that some detainees possess extensive experience in killing and torture, posing what he called a “real test” for Iraqi security agencies. “Hosting such detainees could invite both internal and external pressures, including attempts to secure releases or facilitate prison breaks.”
Saif Raad, a security specialist, pointed out that Iraqi prisons operate under reinforced protection plans and that ongoing investigations may expose sleeper networks and foreign support channels, potentially enhancing national security preparedness.
Read more: ISIS detainee transfers test Iraq’s post-Coalition security
International Responsibility And Regional Context
The presence of detainees from more than 60 countries has intensified debate over international responsibility. Several states have refused to repatriate their nationals who joined ISIS, citing security concerns.
The United States and Britain have previously classified their citizens affiliated with ISIS as national security threats. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would not allow Hoda Muthana, who traveled from Alabama to join ISIS in Syria, to return to the United States after she was stripped of her citizenship.
By contrast, Turkiye has agreed to receive its nationals held in Iraq, a move welcomed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein during a recent meeting with US envoy Tom Barrack.
If other countries continue to resist repatriation, Iraq may face prolonged detention responsibilities that extend beyond its original mandate, effectively becoming a holding ground for foreign fighters whose home states decline to take them back.
Beyond The Battlefield
The transfers mark a transition from open battlefield confrontation to long-term containment and institutional management, and preventing ideological resurgence inside and beyond detention facilities. How Iraqi authorities manage this phase —under regional volatility and international pressure— carries significant implications for national stability and the durability of the country’s post-Coalition security framework.
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
